


Return

by Shizuna610



Category: Bleach
Genre: And it never will be, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, mentioned reincarnation, minor Ukitake Juushirou/Kyouraku Shunsui
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26010235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shizuna610/pseuds/Shizuna610
Summary: "So you were here after all," Shunsui grinned "Juushirou"
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Return

Juushirou closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he waded through the ocean of memories that had flowed into him upon his return. He had closed his eyes in his deathbed then woken up to this beautiful sprawling grassland and a clear blue sky. Before he could even begin to wonder where he was, pure agony had coursed through his head,the sheer amount of information that had crashed into him rendering him unconscious.

After having a couple of weeks to process everything, he felt much more grounded and surer of himself. He was Ukitake Juushirou, Captain of the Thirteenth Squad of the Gotei 13....well former captain....he's not quite sure how much time has passed but they must have appointed a new captain by now. And after sacrificing himself in the Quincy war, he'd expected it to be the end of him but for some reason...he'd been born as a human with no memories of his life before. He lived as normally as one could, and died a peaceful death at a ripe old age, fully expecting nothing more than the eternal slumber promised to very human.

Then he'd woken up here. The clearing was now familiar to him as the hidden away place he and Shunsui met up at to relax.

 _Oh gods, Shunsui!_ How he missed the man. He hadn’t expected to feel much when he first went through his memories but a few decades of human life could do nothing to wash away centuries of memories and feelings.

He wanted nothing more than to seek the other out but he had no idea where to begin.....what was the condition of Soul Society? He'd been away for a hundred years at the very least....assuming he'd immediately reincarnated. If had simply not existed as a conscious form for a while in between dying and being reborn, who knows how much time had passed?!

His train of thought was brought to an abrupt stop by the sounds of people approaching. Centuries of battle hardened awoke with ease, reaching for a sword that wasn't there. He’d gotten so used to talking with his chattering zanpakuto that he forgot he still needed to get a new blade for them. He put up his hand to prepare a _kidou_ spell but relaxed when he realized the barriers he and Shunsui had added around the clearing were still up, which meant...

A familiar figure made its way through the trees, sake jar dangling from hand, garish pink _haori_ and straw hat unchanged. The familiar _reiatsu_ perked up, rushing forth to mix with his own as though holding it in an embrace .

"So you were here after all," Shunsui grinned "Juushirou"

Juushirou found himself smiling back,"Shunsui"

Shunsui chuckled as he made his way over and pulled him into a hug, strong arms encircling him and head settling in the crook of his neck. Juushirou settled his arms on the taller man's back, quiet about the dampness he felt seeping into the collar of the plain white kimono he donned. The other man simply held him , inhaling deeply then pressing a smile against where his lips met skin.

"Welcome back"

“I’m back home” Juushirou replied. Shunsui pulled back to rest their foreheads together, both of them simply soaking in each other’s presence.

"Ah geez I can't take this anymore, enough of the drama _taichou_. Don't think you can skip out on meeting the Central 46 because of this." a vaguely familiar and very exasperated voice complained.

Juushirou pulled away in surprise, only now noticing the other person in the clearing who had come with Shunsui...which was a little embarrassing on his part considering how large the reiatsu of the other person was.

"Ichigo-kun?!"

Ichigo had grown taller over the years and wore a sleeveless version of the standard _shihakusho_ of the Gotei 13 , his long bright hair pulled back in a low ponytail. The most surprising change was that his zanpakuto was actually in a sealed form-a pair of daisho like Shunsui’s- sheathed at his side.

"Welcome back Ukitake-san" he greeted with an apologetic smile before turning back to Shunsui with a scowl.

"How mean Ichigo-chan, I'm meeting a dear friend after almost a century you know??" Shunsui had returned to his usual self, wiping an over dramatic tear and casually blocking Ichigo's incoming kick.

"Don't call me that! I have no clue how Nanao ever put up with your antics" Ichigo snapped back as he tried to land another punch " and tell your excuses to the pile of paperwork that's waiting for your signatures _soutaichou dono_ "

Juushirou blinked "Ichigo-kun is... then Nanao-kun-?"

Ichigo hissed in protest from where Shunsui held him upside down by the foot that had lashed out for a second kick to follow up the missed punch. Shunsui dropped him and turned to reply to the questions Juushirou was brimming with.

"Nanao-chan is fine, she's still my lieutenant. Okikiba-san however, decided to retire"

"I wonder why" Ichigo deadpanned from where he lay on the grass.

Shunsui ignored him as he continued "I'd gotten used to my system of two lieutenants however so I decided it would be a good chance to promote the star from Squad 6 who had proven himself so invaluable to the Gotei. He came with excellent recommendations you see"

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Ichigo said as he stood up and dusted off his shihakusho 

"Now now, don't be like that Ichigo-chan. Come join us for a drink" Shunsui invited, procuring more cups for the sake in his hand. Juushirou let himself be pulled along to sit down with Shunsui, wondering if Ichigo would join them. As much as he wanted some time alone with Shunsui, he was extremely curious about what Ichigo had been up to all these years. 

Ichigo paused, as though considering on taking them up on the offer but shook his head, "Nah, you two catch up. I can’t put off the thing with the 46 but I'll take care of things back at the barracks until then. See ya"

And before Juushioru could say a word, the boy had flashed stepped away. He turned back to where Shunsui held out a cup of sake for him. "He's grown up well, hasn't he?"

Juushirou accepted the cup, taking a sip and enjoying the taste of the fine drink. "He really has. So tell me, what else have I missed out on?"

**Author's Note:**

> A tiny ficlet to get myself out of the writing slump. Bleach has dragged me back into its hell and doomed me with a side pair, a rare pair (2 rare pairs?) and an ot3. Guess I'll just have to feed myself in this fandom now (and maybe drag down a few other ppl while I'm at it)


End file.
